San Jacinto, CA Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Chapter 13.44, Storm Water Management
- Core prohibition
- Non-stormwater discharges to storm drain without a NPDES permit
- Administered by
- Director of community development
- Offense level
- Infraction; repeat violations prosecutable as misdemeanors
- Appeal
- Written appeal to the director within ten days
- Lien trigger
- Invoice unpaid after sixty days
Summary
In the City of San Jacinto, California, Municipal Code Chapter 13.44 bans non-stormwater discharges to the storm drain system unless a NPDES permit covers them. The chapter exempts a short list of flows, including irrigation, foundation drains and dechlorinated pool water, and the director of community development administers it.
No person shall make non-stormwater discharges to the storm drain system, unless such discharge is in compliance with a NPDES permit issued for the non-stormwater discharge. A. Exceptions to Discharge Prohibition. The following discharges are exempt from the prohibition set forth in this section: ... 2. Discharges from the following activities will not be considered a source of pollutants to waters of the United States when properly managed: water line flushing and other discharges from potable water sources, landscape irrigation and lawn watering, irrigation water, diverted stream flows, rising groundwaters, infiltration to separate storm drains, uncontaminated pumped groundwater, foundation and footing drains, water from crawl space pumps, air conditioning condensation, springs, individual residential car washings, flows from riparian habitats and wetlands, dechlorinated swimming pool discharges or flows from fire fighting, accordingly are not subject to the prohibition of discharges.
Full Breakdown
The City of San Jacinto stormwater/urban runoff management and discharge controls ordinance sits in Chapter 13.44 of the Municipal Code. Section 13.44.060 sets the core rule: no person makes non-stormwater discharges to the storm drain system unless the discharge complies with a NPDES permit issued for it. The exception list covers discharges under the discharger's own state-administered NPDES permit and a defined group of lower-risk flows, among them potable water line flushing, landscape irrigation and lawn watering, foundation and footing drains, air conditioning condensation, individual residential car washings and dechlorinated swimming pool discharges.
Other sections add duties beyond the discharge ban. Section 13.44.080 prohibits illicit connections to the storm drain system and states that the prohibition is expressly retroactive, reaching connections made under an earlier permit. Section 13.44.100 bars leaving any pollutant on a street, alley, sidewalk, storm drain, inlet or catch basin and requires dumpsters not to leak. Section 13.44.110 requires owners of paved parking lots, gas station pavement and paved private streets to clean them without sending pollutants to the storm drain system. Section 13.44.120 prohibits storing potential pollutants in unsealed containers where stormwater runoff accumulates and lets the city require spill containment. Sections 13.44.130 and 13.44.140 make new development, redevelopment and existing development control runoff through best management practices that the director of community development identifies. Section 13.44.180 requires the person in charge of premises to notify the city, and the Riverside County health department for hazardous releases, as soon as a release is known or suspected.
The director of community development administers the chapter, and the city attorney or the Riverside District Attorney prosecutes violations (§ 13.44.040). Authorized enforcement officers inspect premises at reasonable times, but they must first request entry and tell the owner or occupant that entry can be refused, in which case inspection requires a search warrant (§ 13.44.160).
Violations & Fines
A violation of Chapter 13.44 is an infraction, and repeated violations can be prosecuted as misdemeanors at the discretion of the city attorney (§ 13.44.210). Each day or portion of a day is a separate offense (§ 13.44.230). Fines and jail terms follow the limits set by law (§ 13.44.220). Officers issue cease and desist orders, notices to clean, stop work orders and written warnings, and an unpaid cleanup invoice becomes a lien on the premises after sixty days (§ 13.44.250).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I wash my car at home in the City of San Jacinto?
Can I drain my swimming pool into the street?
What happens if an officer orders me to monitor or test discharges?
Does new development in San Jacinto have to manage runoff?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Jacinto
California rules heatmap·Compare San Jacinto to another location·View the California environmental rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle stormwater management.